After five years of experimenting in the kitchen, these six recipes have earned permanent spots in my rotation for one simple reason: they actually make me excited to cook.
When I first went vegan at 35, I collected recipes like I used to collect spreadsheets in my finance days. Hundreds of bookmarks, dozens of cookbooks, endless screenshots of dishes I swore I'd make someday.
Five years later, I've learned something that would have saved me a lot of overwhelm: you really only need a handful of recipes you genuinely love.
These six dishes have survived every phase of my plant-based journey. They've fed me after long trail runs, impressed skeptical dinner guests, and gotten me through weeks when cooking felt like the last thing I wanted to do.
They're not complicated or trendy. They're just good, reliable, and endlessly adaptable. Maybe some of them will become your staples too.
1) Crispy smashed chickpea sandwiches
I discovered this recipe during my first vegan winter, when I was craving something hearty and satisfying for lunch. The concept is simple: smash chickpeas with a fork, mix with vegan mayo, mustard, diced celery, and whatever seasonings speak to you that day. Pile it high on good bread with lettuce, tomato, and pickles.
What keeps me coming back is the texture and the versatility. Some weeks I add curry powder and golden raisins. Other times it's dill and capers for something more savory. The whole thing comes together in under ten minutes, which matters on busy writing days when I need fuel but don't want to lose my creative momentum.
Have you found your go-to quick lunch yet?
2) One-pot coconut lentil soup
This soup taught me that vegan cooking doesn't require a sink full of dishes. Red lentils, a can of coconut milk, vegetable broth, ginger, garlic, and a generous spoonful of curry paste all go into one pot. Thirty minutes later, you have something that tastes like it took hours.
I make a double batch almost every month, especially during trail running season when my body craves warming, protein-rich meals. Marcus jokes that our freezer is 40% lentil soup at any given time, and he's probably not wrong. The leftovers reheat beautifully, and I often add fresh spinach or kale when warming up individual portions.
Simple food that nourishes without demanding too much from you.
3) Maple tahini roasted vegetables
Before going vegan, I thought roasted vegetables were boring. Then I discovered what happens when you toss them in a mixture of tahini, maple syrup, tamari, and a squeeze of lemon before roasting. The edges caramelize, the tahini gets nutty and crisp, and suddenly vegetables become the main event.
I rotate through whatever's seasonal: sweet potatoes and Brussels sprouts in fall, cauliflower and carrots in winter, zucchini and bell peppers in summer. This recipe reminds me that plant-based eating isn't about restriction. It's about discovering new ways to make vegetables genuinely exciting. What vegetables have surprised you lately?
4) Weeknight peanut noodles
Some evenings, especially after a long run or a deadline-heavy day, I need dinner to happen in fifteen minutes or less. That's when I reach for this recipe. While noodles cook, I whisk together peanut butter, soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, garlic, and a touch of maple syrup. Toss it all together with whatever vegetables are in the fridge.
The beauty is in the flexibility. Shredded cabbage, snap peas, edamame, cucumber, bell peppers: they all work. I usually top it with chopped peanuts, sesame seeds, and fresh cilantro.
It's the kind of meal that feels indulgent but leaves you energized rather than sluggish. That balance took me years to find in my cooking.
5) Black bean and sweet potato tacos
Taco night happens at least twice a month in our house. Roasted sweet potato cubes, seasoned black beans, quick-pickled red onions, avocado, and a drizzle of chipotle cashew crema on warm corn tortillas. It's a meal that feels celebratory without requiring much effort.
What I love most is how this recipe brings people together. When we have friends over, I set up a taco bar and let everyone build their own. Even the most committed meat-eaters go back for seconds. There's something about the combination of smoky, sweet, creamy, and tangy that transcends dietary labels. Food should bring people to the table, not divide them.
6) Chocolate avocado mousse
I'll be honest: I was skeptical the first time I made this. Avocado in dessert? But one taste converted me completely. Ripe avocados blended with cocoa powder, maple syrup, vanilla, and a pinch of salt create something impossibly rich and silky. No one ever guesses the secret ingredient.
This mousse has become my go-to for dinner parties and quiet evenings alike. Sometimes I add a shot of espresso for depth, or top it with fresh raspberries and coconut whipped cream. It satisfies my sweet tooth while actually making me feel good afterward.
After years of processed vegan desserts that left me feeling off, finding whole-food treats like this felt like a revelation.
Final thoughts
Looking back at this list, I notice something: none of these recipes require special equipment or hard-to-find ingredients. They're all forgiving, adaptable, and built for real life.
That's what sustainable plant-based eating looks like, at least for me. Not perfection, not Instagram-worthy plating every night, just good food that fits into the rhythm of your actual days.
If you're newer to this way of eating, I'd encourage you to stop collecting recipes and start repeating the ones that genuinely make you happy. Your list of six might look completely different from mine, and that's exactly how it should be. What matters is finding the dishes that make you want to show up in the kitchen, month after month.
